4 Phrases Your Dumb Boss Uses

I’ve had many stupid bosses. I guess the key to becoming a boss is to master the language of BS and making yourself sound very important. Another key is to get the average employee to sit down and shut up. Here are some of the common phrases idiot bosses use.

1. At the end of the day – Usually this phrase is used after an employee has made an inquiry that the boss doesn’t deem important. The complete sentence is usually “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter!” or something to that effect. It’s also followed by general babble about company goals. “…as long as we meet the goals for this quarter.”

2. It’s about perception – When a boss gets worried about what their boss sees, they will babble on about ‘perception’. What he means as that he wants you to help him look like he is actually doing his job while he is really playing World of Warcraft and taking 50 smoke breaks a day.

3. We need to be proactive – When your boss implements a rule that makes no sense, it’s always about being ‘proactive’. This phrase is used whenever your boss can’t justify her actions. Instead of tryng to come up with a real reason for what she’s doing, she instead just calls it ‘being proactive’. She’s preventing something from happening that will likely never happen. Make sense? Good, now go sit back down at your cubicle, keep your head down and say nothing.

4. It is what it is – You have a question about that email? Well, it is what it is. I still have no idea what this means, but it’s a good phrase that managers use in meetings when the team questions certain policies.

Team member: “Hey, we’re required to work more for less pay, what gives?”
Boss: “Well team, it is what it is!”

Got any other phrases? I look forward to reading them in the Comments section.